New London, East Lyme, Waterford to consider regional dispatch center

New London, East Lyme and Waterford will be forming a committee to look into the feasibility of a regional dispatch center for fire, police and emergency medical services.

Officials from the three towns will make an announcement at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday at Waterford police headquarters.

The committee will explore options regarding IT solutions, governance, legal and finance structure, labor and management organization, and policies and procedures, according to a statement released by New London Mayor Daryl Justin Finizio's office.

Chief executives from the three municipalities will also sign the Division of Statewide Emergency Telecommunications Transition grant application to try to secure $750,000 in state funding for implementation and a $215,000 annual contribution if the project moves forward.

Financial burdens remain a serious concern shared by each of the three communities. Each municipality is compelled to explore all options to control expenses, but the potential for cost-savings by regionalization of emergency dispatch communications is significant, according to Finizio.

The potential benefit of enhanced public safety services for large-scale events is also an added benefit of regionalization, according to the release.

The planning group is expected to present its findings to the towns by July 1, 2013.